


Out of My System

by MimBeech



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Dating Proposals, F/F, Fluff, In-Character Grumpiness, Kisses, Season 6-ish, Star Trek Femslash, gratuitous tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 07:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13095600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimBeech/pseuds/MimBeech
Summary: Set soon after ‘Rascals’ (Season 6, Ep. 7), Guinan visits Ro with the intention to ask her out properly.





	Out of My System

Ro returned to her quarters after a long shift. She was tired, hungry, and she could feel a headache building at the base of her skull. She pulled off her headband and stretched her neck, satisfied to hear a number of pops and clicks as her spine settled. 

She walked over to the replicator, set in the far wall. “Tarkalean tea,” she ordered, leaning on the wall beside it. A piping hot mug materialised within the niche. Ro grasped it in both hands, enjoying the close-to-burning heat, and breathed in the earthy aroma.

“Six hours, non-stop” she muttered to herself, as she made her way to her couch. Her shift had been hectic, to say the least. In the course of scanning a Class-M planet – Luxor-422, currently on a short-list for colonisation – the Captain had insisted the Enterprise would have to pass through an extensive asteroid field. Plotting the course, carefully monitoring real-time scans, conferring with her colleagues in the science division: Laren’s abilities as a flight controller had been fully exercised that day.

She had just collapsed gratefully into her couch, when the doorbell chimed.

Ro groaned and responded with a weary, “Enter,” she turned to see who could be bothering her when she deserved to be relaxing. She was mildly surprised to see Guinan in her doorway. The bartender was unusually hat-less, draped in soft robes of forest green. 

“Do we have plans?” Ro asked, somewhat curtly.

Guinan smiled, that mysterious and knowing smile she wore so frequently. “No, I don’t think so. I just wanted to see you.”

“Oh,” Ro tilted her head, “In that case, do you want to join me for a drink. I just replicated some tea.”

“That’d be lovely,” Guinan responded magnanimously. Ro often had the impression that Guinan was somehow operating on a higher level than other people. She sat softly beside Ro, adjusting her robe when it puffed around her. “You know, I have some real tea back at the bar. The kind that was grown on actual plants and requires simply the addition of hot water.” 

“Do you have Tarkalean Tirral buds?” Ro asked.

“Hm,” Guinan considered, “No, no I don’t think so.”

“Well then, I think I’ll just stick with this replicated fakery.” Laren immediately regretted her tone of voice.

Guinan raised her eyebrows at the Ensign.

“I’m sorry. That was rude. I’m just… I’ve had a long shift.” Ro clumsily excused herself, feeling a bit foolish for snubbing her new friend. It had been only a few weeks since the incident where Ro, Guinan, Picard and Keiko had been morphed into children in a transporter malfunction. The bizarreness of the situation had brought Ro closer to her crew-mates. Recently, to her surprise, she had begun to sense a sort of amity for her colleagues. It was a foreign sensation, considering she’d spent the past few years court-martialled, then dabbling in subterfuge. 

Guinan had of course taken a shine to Ro from their very first meeting. Laren wasn’t entirely sure why, but she was thankful to have the bartender as a friend. After their youthful transporter adventure, Guinan had obviously made an effort to engage with Ro even more. She was often sending messages inviting Laren to join her Ten-Forward, and just a few days ago, the bartender had convinced Ro to join her at a recital by Lt. Commander Data’s string quintet. 

Ro had been guarded for so long that it felt strange to open up to new friends. Not to mention, Guinan was the most put-together woman Laren had ever encountered. When Laren considered their relationship, something she’d done with increasing frequency over the past fortnight, she’d come to the conclusion that such a beautiful and confident person taking an interest in her seemed too good to be true.

Laren only realised she had zoned-out when Guinan put a hand on her knee.

“You really must be tired,” Guinan noted with a wry grin, “One moment you’re apologising for being your usual self, next you’re just sitting there staring at nothing.”

“My usual self?” Ro retorted.

“Yes, you know… a bit acerbic.” Guinan shrugged, “Not that I mind, though. Like I said, it’s just you.”

Ro scoffed jokingly, feigning disbelief, but she knew Guinan’s analysis was right. She stood up, leaving her tea resting precariously on the armrest beside her. “Can I get you something to drink then?”

“I’ll have what you’re having. It’s been a while since I’ve had Tarkalean tea.”

Ro ordered from the replicator and returned to the couch with another mug of steaming liquid. She passed it to Guinan, who sniffed it and noted, “Not a bad replication.”

“It’s one of the few drinks the replicator does that tastes almost like the real thing.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind. I hate serving replicated things, but if I have to, I like to be sure that they’re nice.”

Ro smiled at Guinan, appreciative of the care the bartender took for her customers. She sipped her tea, then asked, “So, uh, why have you come see me?”

Something rare happened, Ro noticed a flicker of uncertainty in Guinan’s eyes. She almost didn’t believe she had seen it, but as Guinan spoke, it returned. It was in stark contrast to the bartender’s tone of voice. “Oh, like I said, I just wanted to see you,” she replied airily.

“That’s all…?”, it was Ro’s turn to raise her eyebrows at her friend.

Guinan hesitated, glancing away. “I don’t know what you know about me, but I’m sure you know I’m not human, and I’ve lived a long time.” She cleared her throat, “I’ve learned that it’s best to be forthcoming and confident. Yet,” she smiled embarrassedly, “I still get nervous when it comes to matters of the heart.”

Ro noted Guinan’s measured tone of voice. “You don’t sound nervous,” she observed. Though she had a clue, she wondered where this was going.

At this, Guinan smiled once more at Laren. “Practice,” she whispered with a wink. More seriously, she said, “Look, I just want to tell you how I feel, and get it out of my system.”

“Alright,” Ro interrupted, “I think I know what you’re about to say. You like me.” 

Laren had stated it simply, but Guinan’s eyes widened. She seemed to be at a loss for words, so Ro continued.

“I’m not blind you know, I can tell when someone’s interested in me. Even if they’re as gorgeous as you. And,” she added, prodding Guinan’s shoulder with her finger, “you keep finding excuses to spend time with me. Which is – in my experience – a pretty obvious signal.”

Despite her apparent surprise, Guinan recovered quickly, “Huh,” she breathed, nodding. “In that case, would you, Ro Laren, be interested, possibly, in joining me for dinner some time?”

Ro laughed, bemused at the bartender’s formality. “Yeah, of course I would.”

“Great!” Guinan stood suddenly, depositing her mug and smoothing her robe. “Maybe tomorrow night, after your shift? Or the night after, whichever.” 

Again, Ro was surprised to note that her friend sounded a bit nervous. It was possible that Guinan, despite her longevity, had not dated many people, at least not recently. Ro found it a strange concept, and Guinan’s apparent inexperience in this field gave her a boost of confidence. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmm?” Guinan turned with a quizzical expression. So, Ro simply stepped closer and placed a delicate kiss on Guinan’s lips. 

A shocked expression occupied Guinan’s face for all of a second, before she smiled, gesturing good-naturedly, “Of course, I did forget. Thank you for reminding me.” She reached up to gently hold Ro’s jaw line and reciprocated, harder and deeper. 

Ro relished this new sensation, enjoying the fluttering in her stomach and the rush to her head. When they parted, her cheeks were flushed.

Guinan smiled broadly, ran one thumb quickly across Ro’s cheek, then suddenly turned and before Laren could protest, had disappeared through the door.

Ro stood perfectly still in the middle of her quarters, utterly stunned. She couldn’t believe the events that had just unfolded. After some time, she regained the presence of mind to sit down once more. She ran her hands through her hair and laughed to the empty room. “Did I just kiss Guinan?” She couldn’t believe her luck.

**Author's Note:**

> • Vaguely inspired by Outta my System, by My Morning Jacket, a good and fun song.  
> • Is it a DS9 reference?? Might be, might be. Can’t tell me what to do.  
> • Is this fic a way for me to come to terms with my long-held attraction to Whoopi? *Maybe so.*


End file.
